Home
>
Weight Loss
>
Weight Loss Maintenance Tip - Staying Aware

Weight Loss Maintenance Tip - Staying Aware

Stop Weight From Creeping Up By Staying Aware

Everyone has small weight gains and losses but if those gains aren't noticed, and if the trend toward weight gain continues, then those extra pounds can become permanent. You'll know it because your clothes start to be too tight. If they get tight and stay tight, then you've got a decision to make. For me, when this happens, I notice the trend, and then work to reverse it if I'm getting a bit too comfortable at a higher weight (body fat) than what I really want.

For me a small weight gain is difficult to notice because I tend to gain it evenly all over. I can lose 10 pounds and no one will notice but me, but my clothes fit better, my disposition is better and I feel so much better. They do notice the spring in my step and the smile on my face.

Winter Weight Gain

Last winter (early 2004) I put on the normal four or five "holiday" pounds and then come late January I noticed they were still there. Normally they'd just come right back off as I got back into my usual eating habits. I scratched my head and went about my life, eating about the same, exercising about the same, and then in March I thought, "Hey, what's up with this?" because I still was carrying around that so called "winter weight." I'd gained about seven pounds and could not for the life of me figure out why.

I started to consider everything I could think of that could be causing it: Was it early menopause? Was I eating more than I realize? Was I exercising inconsistently? Had I developed more muscle? Was it bad karma or something I'd done in a previous life? What on earth could it possibly be?

Come summer 2004 I was unhappy to find I wasn't happy with how I looked in shorts or a bathing suit, but too bad. I'm not putting off life because my legs aren't great. Hey, I'm pushing 50 years old, so give me a break. I just went about my business but I started to pay more attention. I discovered those Mike's Hard Lemonades I'm so fond of in the summer pack quite a calorie wallop. I also found I could eat half a sandwich and be satisfied. Slowly I started to cut back my quantities and pay better attention to the quality of what I was eating. Now I could eat half a baked potato (when before I'd always eat a whole large potato) and I WAS drinking a lot of calories. I also wasn't very consistent with my exercise. All these small things added up to a few pounds.

So ultimately, I made some changes. I stopped the alcohol calories cold turkey, started to eat a bit less by portion control (having half a sandwich or baked potato instead of always having the whole even if I'm already satisfied). I also got more aggressive with my weight lifting and switched from my one body part a day to a four-day split which basically added about two hours a week to my exercise. I had always been pretty consistent with my exercise bike, riding on average about 3.5 hours a week all together.

Here it is December and I find those seven pounds long gone. I'm looking good and feeling better and coming into 2005 without that extra weight monkey on my back. The changes I made were slight but it made all the difference. As it turned out, none of my earlier attempts at excuses were correct. I'd just simply gotten more relaxed with my eating and exercise and it was starting to show.

I'm not ultra strict with these things either so don't get me wrong. You do not have to be an exercise fanatic, nor do you have to restrict your eating. My new habit is chocolate cake and ice cream nearly every night during the week but now I buy a single slice of cake (I used to eat the whole piece at one sitting), and I cut off a third. Tomorrow I'll cut the remainder in half, and the next night I eat the rest. Three servings instead of one. I add a quarter pint of Haagen Daz to my bowl and it's a totally satisfying treat to end my dinner. I do tend to eat my dessert even if I'm full from dinner, but hey, one thing at a time. If I want to sometime tackle breaking this habit, I will.

For now, I'm happy with my size and my health

So, little changes, big results. Now, coming into the holiday season that seasonal weight gain probably won't happen at all this year because I'm much more aware. I'll eat what I want and really enjoy the season, and maybe put on a few pounds, but come January I'll get right back to the habits I'm using now and they'll come right back off, just like they have nearly every year before. It's not so difficult to maintain, but it can be difficult to stay aware. ;-)

~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of the free e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of onemorebite-weightloss.com

Get onemorebite-weightloss.com: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.

scheduled cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.